Last year we went on our first holiday as a family to Mallorca and it was amazing! Unfortunately we haven’t been lucky enough to have a proper holiday abroad this year but we did had a lovely week down in North Devon. Despite it being summer the weather had other ideas. It rained for most of the time we were there. We did make it to the beach one sunny morning though which was great. We have also been enjoying the rather lovely sunny weather we have been having this week.

Obviously there are some essential things that you need when you are in the sun. The main one being sun protection. I will fully admit to being silly in the past. I used to either not wear sun cream or not apply it as frequently as I should have. I know this is very stupid and dangerous! Especially when all you need is around 3 tablespoons of sun cream to cover your whole body! I have definitely not been using enough in the past which is terrible. Now as a mum it’s something I feel very strongly about. On our first holiday last year we both made sure that Clem was covered all of the time. Even if it wasn’t that sunny we would still put it on her.

Last month I attended #BML16 and one of the brands there was Boots Soltan who are actually my go to brand for sun cream. We took a couple of the family packs when we went away last year and it was great. Jesse doesn’t like feeling greasy and even he liked it. The packs contained enough for both of us, and a child’s one as well. Not only was it good value but with over 75 years of expertise protecting the nation’s skin, it’s also the number 1 5★ UVA sun protection brand.

What is the Importance of 5★ protection?

• Sun damage is caused by two types of ultraviolet light, UVA and UVB. UVA penetrates deeper and is mainly responsible for ageing. UVB penetrates less deeply but also causes sunburn.
• The level of protection against burning is shown by the SPF. Higher SPFs give more protection.
• The level of UVA protection a sun cream gives is shown by its star rating.
• The amount of UV light present is less about temperature but more about the time of year and how close you are to the equator. The closer you are to the equator, the more UV there is. While UV light is still present on an overcast day, because it can penetrate cloud cover, it is higher the closer you are to midsummer’s day
• Wearing a t-shirt provides UV protection but only when it’s dry. Once it becomes wet it turns opaque so swimming in a t-shirt offers no protection from the sun
• Sand, concrete and even grass all reflect UV but if any of these surfaces become wet the amount of UV reflected can double
• The effects of the sun are cumulative so if you burn an area of skin it may be more sensitive next year

If you are unsure of what SPF you need, the lovely folks at Boots have made a rather handy tool to find out what you will need.

*Whilst I was provided with this information from Boots Soltan I wasn’t paid for this post. I just wanted to share some important information with everyone. Make sure you wear sun cream.